Game journals for board games I engage in, mostly PBEM.
Some journals are updated while the game is ongoing, some afterwards.

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Pax Romana 104: Scenario 5 - Turn 1

Game developer Neil Randall is graciously refereeing another game of Pax Romana that I am lucky enough to be involved in. Now that's pressure!

In this particular game we are playing Scenario 5: The Rise of Rome with the following players:

Referee - Neil Randall

Carthage - Jake Baker

East - David Kurtz

Greece - Henry Russell

Rome - Stan Buck

Unless otherwise noted below, assume that the active side performed an expansion move.

Turn 1

Turn 1 starts with the Activation Phase.

Activation Phase

Greece goes first with their Soldier of Fortune Army (representing Pyhrrus).

Major Move: 2-4 leader in Pella and 2HI head to Italia, ending their move in Tarentum.

Minor Move: Build town in Venusia.

Minor Move 2: Build town in Pasetum.

The next move is from The East. They proudly unveil a new Galley Technology - The Corvus.

Major Move: The 2-6 leader starts in Edessa and moves straight into Asia Minor, to Melitene. Garrisons are created there, and one left behind before the army moves through Side to Seleucia, where a second garrison is dropped. The army thenm returns and ends its turn in Seleucia.

Minor Move 1: The LI in Damascus destroys the Greek garrsion in Tyre before boarding ships and sailing to Arsinol. (This move is not shown below.)

Minor Move 2: Build a town in Side.

Carthage is up next and performs a manpower operation, building 1 Cav and 2 HI in Carthago.

Rome has the next AM, after which random AM draws begin.

Minor Move 1: LG in Placentia to Pisae.

Minor Move 2: LG in Placentia to Rome.

Major Move: 2-4 leader in Rome. He takes 4LG via naval transport to Lissa where he is forced to debark. From there, he moves overland to Dyrrhachium where the SoF and his army intercept him. The SoF is unable to defeat the Roman army, despite a favorable battle situation. Greece loses 2Hi from the SoF, while Rome loses an LG and reduces a second LG. As the SoF regroups back to Corcyra, Roma assaults the Greek capital at Pella, storming the town and occupying it. The Romans sack and plunder the city for 3T before settling in as an occupying force.

Carthage draws the next AM, and with it news of a Barbarian Invasion, 9BI and a leader in Narbo (Western Gaul). The Barbarians move into Hispania, eliminating the Greek garrison at Emporiae, then attacking the tribe at Illerda (5BI) 3 times before the tribe is wiped out. The Barbarians return to Narbo after defeatimng the tribe.

Carthage then performs her own expansion move.

Minor Move 1: Galley in Gades moves, but is forced to stop at the NTP between Iol Caearea and Hippo Regius.

Minor Move 2: LI at Utica moves to Leptis Magna.

Major Move: 2-5 leader at Carthage boards transports and sails for Hispania. He encounters difficulty with weather, and while able to force his way past Iol Caesarea, is forced to stop at the NTP between Iol Caesarea and Siga.

Rome is up next and performs a Manpower operation to add 4LG at Placentia.

Greece follows Rome.

Major Move: Activate the SoF and attack Pella. Greece bids for seige expertise to gain one shift in the assault, however it does not help as Rome beats back the assault with losses on both sides of 2BI. The SoF regroups and attacks Pella again. Once again, the dice do not favor Greece. Both sides lose 2BI, and the SoF leader dies in the assault.

Minor Move 1: HI in Nicomedia to Sestus.

Minor Move 2: HI in Nicomedia to Ancyra.

(Greece has had unnaturally bad luck so far in combat against Rome. The Greek player, Henry Russell, I will pause to note here, has been an extremely good sport about it.)

Carthage's 3rd AM comes out next.

Major Move: Activate 2-5 leader on NTP. He debarks at Carthago Novo and moves overland to attack the 6BI tribe at Toletum. Two assaults are required to eliminate the tribe. An LI isbroken down into garrison units, and one left in Toletum while the main force moves off to occupy Illerda.

Minor Move 1: The Galley on the NTP completes its intended move to Aleria (Corsica)

Minor Move 2: The LI at Gades is broken down into 2Garrison units.

The East is up next.

Major Move: Activate the 2-6 leader in Seluecia. He leaves a Garrsioon, then moves overland to Nicomedia in Pontus, where an HI is broken down to make 3 garrsion units.

Minor Move 1: LI in Memphis moves to Alexandria.

Minor Move 2: LI In Memphis moves to Alexandria, then boards ships before moving to Cnossos in Crete.

Greece has the next AM and must satisfy the Stability Check played against her. Since Greece's stability is in Unrest, she must follow the rules for disorder and move a 3BI army to her capital. To satisfy this, 3BI move from Corinth to Athens. I believe that is all Greece did this turn, but it seems like I may have missed something.

The East's 3rd AM is next and an Alliance with Rhodes is announced.

Major Move: Activate 2-6 leader in Nicomedia. He leaves a garrison and HI behind and takes his army to Sinope where they board ships and sail, passing through Trapezus before being forced to stop in Phasis.

Minor Move 1: LI in Arsinol breaks down into 2 Garrsion units.

Minor Move 2: Build town in Nicomedia.

The East's last AM comes out next.

Major Move: Activate 2-5 in Alexandria. Due to a slow start his army is forced to board ships and sail to Arsinol where an HI is dropped off and a Garrison picked up. The Army then returns to Cyrene where it stops.

Minor Move 1: A Garrsion in Phasis is activated, but goes nowhere.

Minor Move 2: Build City in Antioch.

Carthage's 4th AM is next.

Major Move: Activate the 2-5 leader in Illerda. He converts 2 HI into 6 Garrisons, then goes on walkabout through Hispania, dropping Garrisons in Illerda (2), Portus Blendium, Bergidum, and Salamanca. The army ends the turn in Merida.

Minor Move 1: A Garrsion in Illerda activates, moves to Emporiae and embarks ships, presumabling heading for the Baleares Islands. Unfortunately they cannot make their way past Barcino.

Minor Move 2: Garrison in Gades moves to Ilisipo.

Rome has the next AM, her 3rd.

Major Move: Activate 1-5 leader in Placentia to Capua.

Minor Moves: None.

Greece's last AM comes out next.

Major Move: Activate 2-5 leader in Athens and attack Pella with 4HI. It takes 2 assaults and costs 1 Greek HI, but in the end Pella is back under Greek control.

Minor Move 1: Rebuild 1 wall point in Pella

Minor Move 2: HI in Sestus to Athens by boat

Rome has the final AM of the turn.

Major Move: The 1-5 in Capua attacks the Greek town in Paestum, and takes it. The force them moves on to attack Venusia. The Greeks sally forth from Tarentum to intercept and, in a bloody battle, 2LG are lost and 1 Greek HI. One further assault eables Rome to take the town.